The final touches on the Highway 24 and 26th Street left-turn lane project were going in this week, with all lanes once again open to traffic.

The new, offset left-turn lane on the westbound side of Highway 24 is seen from the turn lane on the opposite, eastbound side of the 26th Street intersection this week after completion of a roughly three-week Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority safety project that also extended
the length of both left-turn lanes.

Westside Pioneer photo

The contractor, CMS Inc., is finishing well ahead of the announced mid-May completion date. Work had started just after mid-April, with the four through lanes reduced to two for about two weeks.
Funded as a $128,000 safety project by the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (RTA), the improvements involved lengthening the left-turn lanes so there will be over twice as much “stacking” space and room to slow down, as well as offsetting the lanes so drivers can see around the cars turning left on the
opposite side.
“At this point, traffic appears to be moving smoothly through the intersection, and we will continue to monitor the intersection in the coming weeks and months,” said RTA project manager Colleen Dawson. “We do not anticipate any issues with motorists adapting to this modification.”